Just FYI, if you haven’t seen the pictures from our trip down south please see the last post. I recently put it up and just don’t want anyone to miss it!
The past week has been crazy, as it happens every year in June. In one week we got to party hardy with Hope’s 3rd birthday, our 8 year anniversary, Jason’s birthday, and Father’s Day. What that comes out to is a lot of cards, balloons, and FUN!
This year for Hope’s birthday I decided I wanted to use a Garden Party theme, as well as try to make a lot of the items for her party. My crafty side is desperately wanting to come out and it’s amazing some of the ideas you can get online. The weather here has been gradually getting warmer and so I was thinking how much fun it would be for the kids to play outside and have a picnic with chalk and bubbles– but of course when you plan an outdoor party that is just asking for rain. And rain it did, as well as blow like a hurricane! In fact, it was so windy that a giant tree outside our house just fell over and missed Jason’s car by about 6 inches. So we took the party indoors and had just as much fun.
Now my daughter is not one of those kids who thrives on being the center of attention. She likes playing with other kids, but when it comes down to everyone watching her, well, she kind of freaks out. We had a few frustrating moments during her party such as when it was time to sing “Happy Birthday” and blow out her candles. So this year we didn’t sing and I ended up blowing out the candles. Other than that, she really did have fun and didn’t even mind all the kids playing with her toys. Hey, at least she didn’t kick her shoe into her cake like last year! Overall, I can’t believe she is 3 years old and such a big girl now!
I had fun making some yummy treats for the kids. Here are some cookies on a stick and chocolate flower cupcakes.
A close-up of the flower cupcakes
Here’s Hope super excited during her party.
We had a total of 8 kids at the party including Hope, and fortunately they were happy to play in our garage.
A game that we played was a Caterpillar Hunt. I had found some butterfly nets in the dollar section at Target, and then glued some fuzzy pom-poms to popsicle sticks to make the caterpillars. I then threw the caterpillars all over the garage and the kids had to “catch” them with their nets. They really liked it and we ended up playing the game several times.
The kids each got a turn to hit a butterfly pinata, and here I am giving Hope a hand. After several tries, Jason just ended up ripping it open and the kids dove for the candy.
And here’s the birthday cake! It’s strawberry cake with buttercream icing, and I had fun getting to bake with so much sugar in one day!
Max doesn’t know what is going on…
Mamere was kind enough to come visit and help do some last minute decorating for the party.
I also attempted to applique the number 3 onto a shirt for the big day (don’t look too close!)
And here’s the tree that fell in our front yard during the party–we didn’t even hear it with all the kids running around!
One tired birthday girl–I can’t believe she is 3 years old!
While we had a free babysitter (thanks Helen!) in town, we were able to go out for our 8 year anniversary down to Salt Lake City and enjoy a very nice dinner and a movie. It seems like yesterday as well as a lifetime ago that we got married, and it’s been even more fun than I could imagine!
This year Jason turned the big 3-0, and I really wanted to remind him that he is very, very old (because he constantly reminds me that I am older than him, only by 1 year). So I was able to find an accomplice (who shall remain nameless) who was kind enough to decorate his office for me. When Jason rolled into work that morning he was greeted by signs posted on all incoming doors of “You’re 30!” all the way to his office where there were black streamers, balloons, and huge number 30’s hanging from his ceiling. The main point of this was that hopefully he would get a lot of flack at work. So now he is officially O-L-D!
The kids visiting daddy at work
A little love note I left on his desk!
Father’s Day came on an absolutely beautiful summer day and we were able to relax and enjoy time as a family together. I have to say that the kids absolutely adore their daddy and he is pretty smitten with them too. I framed the following photos together for Jason to put in his office:
Gimme a D!
Gimme an A!
Gimme a D! What’s that spell? DAD!!!!!!
And to close, this is how Hope prefers to wear her birthday hat. I did not help her to put this on…
Take care and God Bless!
Kristin, It makes my day to see the latest pictures of your family and read the comments you share. The birthday party looked to be a hoot, and the candid shots of the children were my favorites. Thank you SO much for calling me and keeping me up on you and your precious family. Much love ,Mimi